Sound and Light Experiences

ABSTRACT

An example playback device is configured to: (i) determine given audio content that is to be played back by the playback device; (ii) identify at least one frequency range in the given audio content; (iii) for each identified frequency range in the given audio content, determine a respective lighting behavior that is to be produced, by a lighting device that is communicatively coupled with the playback device, during playback of the identified frequency range in the given audio content; (iv) play back the given audio content comprising the at least one identified frequency range; and (v) cause the lighting device to produce the determined lighting behavior in synchrony with playback of the identified frequency in the given audio content.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.63/217,740 filed Jul. 1, 2021, and entitled “Sound and LightExperiences,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by referencein their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is related to consumer goods and, moreparticularly, to methods, systems, products, features, services, andother elements directed to media playback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

Options for accessing and listening to digital audio in an out-loudsetting were limited until in 2002, when SONOS, Inc. began developmentof a new type of playback system. Sonos then filed one of its firstpatent applications in 2003, entitled “Method for Synchronizing AudioPlayback between Multiple Networked Devices,” and began offering itsfirst media playback systems for sale in 2005. The Sonos Wireless HomeSound System enables people to experience music from many sources viaone or more networked playback devices. Through a software controlapplication installed on a controller (e.g., smartphone, tablet,computer, voice input device), one can play what she wants in any roomhaving a networked playback device. Media content (e.g., songs,podcasts, video sound) can be streamed to playback devices such thateach room with a playback device can play back corresponding differentmedia content. In addition, rooms can be grouped together forsynchronous playback of the same media content, and/or the same mediacontent can be heard in all rooms synchronously.

Given the ever-growing interest in digital media, there continues to bea need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhancethe listening experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technologymay be better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings, as listed below. A personskilled in the relevant art will understand that the features shown inthe drawings are for purposes of illustrations, and variations,including different and/or additional features and arrangements thereof,are possible.

FIG. 1A is a partial cutaway view of an environment having a mediaplayback system configured in accordance with aspects of the disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the media playback system of FIG. 1Aand one or more networks.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an example playback device.

FIG. 1D is a block diagram of an example playback device.

FIG. 1E is a block diagram of an example playback device.

FIG. 1F is a block diagram of an example network microphone device.

FIG. 1G is a block diagram of an example playback device.

FIG. 1H is a partially schematic diagram of an example control device.

FIG. 1I is a schematic diagram of example user interfaces of the examplecontrol device of FIG. 1H.

FIGS. 1J, 1K, 1L, and 1M are schematic diagrams of example correspondingmedia playback system zones.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of example media playback system areas.

FIG. 3 is an isometric diagram of an example playback device housing.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example headset assembly for the playbackdevice of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of one example process according to thedisclosed techniques.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of another example process according to thedisclosed techniques.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of yet another example process according to thedisclosed techniques.

The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating example embodiments,but those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that thetechnology disclosed herein is not limited to the arrangements and/orinstrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Overview

Throughout one's day, different types of listening moments can occur.Some activities call for personal listening moments while other momentsare centered around room-filling sound. Sound helps to create and/orsupport different listening moments or moods and foster a more personal,meaningful, and targeted interaction with one's environment. Thedirectionality of sound, layering of sound, or types of sound can beselected to create particular listening moments or moods. Listeningexperiences can be further enhanced when accompanied by correspondinglighting effects that add a lighting component to create a moreimmersive and comprehensive audiovisual experience. Accordingly,disclosed herein are various modes of operation, techniques, andembodiments for creating sound and light experiences.

While some examples described herein may refer to functions performed bygiven actors such as “users,” “listeners,” and/or other entities, itshould be understood that this is for purposes of explanation only. Theclaims should not be interpreted to require action by any such exampleactor unless explicitly required by the language of the claimsthemselves.

Moreover, some functions are described herein as being performed “basedon” or “in response to” another element or function. “Based on” shouldbe understood that one element or function is related to anotherfunction or element. “In response to” should be understood that oneelement or function is a necessary result of another function orelement. For the sake of brevity, functions are generally described asbeing based on another function when a functional link exists; however,such disclosure should be understood as disclosing either type offunctional relationship.

In the figures, identical reference numbers identify generally similar,and/or identical, elements. To facilitate the discussion of anyparticular element, the most significant digit or digits of a referencenumber refers to the figure in which that element is first introduced.For example, element 110 a is first introduced and discussed withreference to FIG. 1A. Many of the details, dimensions, angles and otherfeatures shown in the figures are merely illustrative of particularembodiments of the disclosed technology. Accordingly, other embodimentscan have other details, dimensions, angles and features withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. In addition, thoseof ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that further embodiments ofthe various disclosed technologies can be practiced without several ofthe details described below.

II. Suitable Operating Environment

a. Suitable Media Playback System

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an example configuration of a media playbacksystem (“MPS”) 100 in which one or more embodiments disclosed herein maybe implemented. Referring first to FIG. 1A, a partial cutaway view ofMPS 100 distributed in an environment 101 (e.g., a house) is shown. TheMPS 100 as shown is associated with an example home environment having aplurality of rooms and spaces. The MPS 100 comprises one or moreplayback devices 110 (identified individually as playback devices 110a-o), one or more network microphone devices (“NMDs”) 120 (identifiedindividually as NMDs 120 a-c), and one or more control devices 130(identified individually as control devices 130 a and 130 b).

As used herein the term “playback device” can generally refer to anetwork device configured to receive, process, and output data of amedia playback system. For example, a playback device can be a networkdevice that receives and processes audio content. In some embodiments, aplayback device includes one or more transducers or speakers powered byone or more amplifiers. In other embodiments, however, a playback deviceincludes one of (or neither of) the speaker and the amplifier. Forinstance, a playback device can comprise one or more amplifiersconfigured to drive one or more speakers external to the playback devicevia a corresponding wire or cable.

Moreover, as used herein the term NMD (i.e., a “network microphonedevice”) can generally refer to a network device that is configured foraudio detection. In some embodiments, an NMD is a stand-alone deviceconfigured primarily for audio detection. In other embodiments, an NMDis incorporated into a playback device (or vice versa).

The term “control device” can generally refer to a network deviceconfigured to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access,control, and/or configuration of the MPS 100.

Each of the playback devices 110 is configured to receive audio signalsor data from one or more media sources (e.g., one or more remoteservers, one or more local devices) and play back the received audiosignals or data as sound. The one or more NMDs 120 are configured toreceive spoken word commands, and the one or more control devices 130are configured to receive user input. In response to the received spokenword commands and/or user input, the MPS 100 can play back audio via oneor more of the playback devices 110. In certain embodiments, theplayback devices 110 are configured to commence playback of mediacontent in response to a trigger. For instance, one or more of theplayback devices 110 can be configured to play back a morning playlistupon detection of an associated trigger condition (e.g., presence of auser in a kitchen, detection of a coffee machine operation). In someembodiments, for example, the MPS 100 is configured to play back audiofrom a first playback device (e.g., the playback device 100 a) insynchrony with a second playback device (e.g., the playback device 100b). Interactions between the playback devices 110, NMDs 120, and/orcontrol devices 130 of the MPS 100 configured in accordance with thevarious embodiments of the disclosure are described in greater detailbelow with respect to FIGS. 1B-1H.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1A, the environment 101 comprisesa household having several rooms, spaces, and/or playback zones,including (clockwise from upper left) a Master Bathroom 101 a, a MasterBedroom 101 b, a Second Bedroom 101 c, a Family Room or Den 101 d, anOffice 101 e, a Living Room 101 f, a Dining Room 101 g, a Kitchen 101 h,and an outdoor Patio 101 i. While certain embodiments and examples aredescribed below in the context of a home environment, the technologiesdescribed herein may be implemented in other types of environments. Insome embodiments, for example, the MPS 100 can be implemented in one ormore commercial settings (e.g., a restaurant, mall, airport, hotel, aretail or other store), one or more vehicles (e.g., a sports utilityvehicle, bus, car, a ship, a boat, an airplane), multiple environments(e.g., a combination of home and vehicle environments), and/or anothersuitable environment where multi-zone audio may be desirable.

The MPS 100 can comprise one or more playback zones, some of which maycorrespond to the rooms in the environment 101. The MPS 100 can beestablished with one or more playback zones, after which additionalzones may be added and/or removed to form, for example, theconfiguration shown in FIG. 1A. Each zone may be given a name accordingto a different room or space such as the Office 101 e, Master Bathroom101 a, Master Bedroom 101 b, the Second Bedroom 101 c, Kitchen 101 h,Dining Room 101 g, Living Room 101 f, and/or the Patio 101 i. In someaspects, a single playback zone may include multiple rooms or spaces. Incertain aspects, a single room or space may include multiple playbackzones.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1A, the Master Bathroom 101 a, theSecond Bedroom 101 c, the Office 101 e, the Living Room 101 f, theDining Room 101 g, the Kitchen 101 h, and the outdoor Patio 101 i eachinclude one playback device 110, and the Master Bedroom 101 b and theDen 101 d include a plurality of playback devices 110. In the MasterBedroom 101 b, the playback devices 110 l and 110 m may be configured,for example, to play back audio content in synchrony as individual onesof playback devices 110, as a bonded playback zone, as a consolidatedplayback device, and/or any combination thereof. Similarly, in the Den101 d, the playback devices 110 h-j can be configured, for instance, toplay back audio content in synchrony as individual ones of playbackdevices 110, as one or more bonded playback devices, and/or as one ormore consolidated playback devices.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the home environment may include additional and/orother computing devices, including local network devices, such as one ormore smart illumination devices 108 (FIG. 1B), a smart thermostat 140(FIG. 1B), and a local computing device 105 (FIG. 1A). Numerous otherexamples of local network devices (not shown) are also possible, such asdoorbells, cameras, smoke alarms, televisions, gaming consoles, garagedoor openers, etc. In embodiments described below, one or more of thevarious playback devices 110 may be configured as portable playbackdevices, while others may be configured as stationary playback devices.For example, the headphones 110 o (FIG. 1B) are a portable playbackdevice, while the playback device 110 e on the bookcase may be astationary device. As another example, the playback device 110 c on thePatio 101 i may be a battery-powered device, which may allow it to betransported to various areas within the environment 101, and outside ofthe environment 101, when it is not plugged in to a wall outlet or thelike.

With reference still to FIG. 1B, the various playback, networkmicrophone, and controller devices and/or other network devices of theMPS 100 may be coupled to one another via point-to-point connectionsand/or over other connections, which may be wired and/or wireless, via alocal network 160 that may include a network router 109. For example,the playback device 110 j in the Den 101 d (FIG. 1A), which may bedesignated as the “Left” device, may have a point-to-point connectionwith the playback device 110 k, which is also in the Den 101 d and maybe designated as the “Right” device. In a related embodiment, the Leftplayback device 110 j may communicate with other network devices, suchas the playback device 110 h, which may be designated as the “Front”device, via a point-to-point connection and/or other connections via thelocal network 160.

The local network 160 may be, for example, a network that interconnectsone or more devices within a limited area (e.g., a residence, an officebuilding, a car, an individual's workspace, etc.). The local network 160may include, for example, one or more local area networks (LANs) such asa wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., a WIFI network, a Z-Wavenetwork, etc.) and/or one or more personal area networks (PANs) (e.g. aBLUETOOTH network, a wireless USB network, a ZigBee network, an IRDAnetwork, and/or other suitable wireless communication protocol network)and/or a wired network (e.g., a network comprising Ethernet, UniversalSerial Bus (USB), and/or another suitable wired communication). As thoseof ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, as used herein, “WIFI” canrefer to several different communication protocols including, forexample, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.12, 802.11ac, 802.11ac, 802.11ad,802.11af, 802.11ah, 802.11ai, 802.11aj, 802.11aq, 802.11ax, 802.11 ay,802.15, etc. transmitted at 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz), 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and/oranother suitable frequency.

The MPS 100 is configured to receive media content from the localnetwork 160. The received media content can comprise, for example, aUniform Resource Identifier (URI) and/or a Uniform Resource Locator(URL). For instance, in some examples, the MPS 100 can stream, download,or otherwise obtain data from a URI or a URL corresponding to thereceived media content.

As further shown in FIG. 1B, the MPS 100 may be coupled to one or moreremote computing devices 106 via a wide area network (“WAN”) 107. Insome embodiments, each remote computing device 106 may take the form ofone or more cloud servers. The remote computing devices 106 may beconfigured to interact with computing devices in the environment 101 invarious ways. For example, the remote computing devices 106 may beconfigured to facilitate streaming and/or controlling playback of mediacontent, such as audio, in the environment 101 (FIG. 1A).

In some implementations, the various playback devices 110, NMDs 120,and/or control devices 130 may be communicatively coupled to at leastone remote computing device associated with a voice assistant service(“VAS”) and/or at least one remote computing device associated with amedia content service (“MCS”). For instance, in the illustrated exampleof FIG. 1B, remote computing devices 106 a are associated with a VAS 190and remote computing devices 106 b are associated with an MCS 192.Although only a single VAS 190 and a single MCS 192 are shown in theexample of FIG. 1B for purposes of clarity, the MPS 100 may be coupledto any number of different VASes and/or MCSes. In some embodiments, thevarious playback devices 110, NMDs 120, and/or control devices 130 maytransmit data associated with a received voice input to a VAS configuredto (i) process the received voice input data and (ii) transmit acorresponding command to the MPS 100. In some aspects, for example, thecomputing devices 106 a may comprise one or more modules and/or serversof a VAS. In some implementations, VASes may be operated by one or moreof SONOS®, AMAZON®, GOOGLE® APPLE®, MICROSOFT®, NUANCE®, or other voiceassistant providers. In some implementations, MCSes may be operated byone or more of SPOTIFY, PANDORA, AMAZON MUSIC, YOUTUBE MUSIC, APPLEMUSIC, GOOGLE PLAY, or other media content services.

In some embodiments, the local network 160 comprises a dedicatedcommunication network that the MPS 100 uses to transmit messages betweenindividual devices and/or to transmit media content to and from MCSes.In certain embodiments, the local network 160 is configured to beaccessible only to devices in the MPS 100, thereby reducing interferenceand competition with other household devices. In other embodiments,however, the local network 160 comprises an existing householdcommunication network (e.g., a household WIFI network). In someembodiments, the MPS 100 is implemented without the local network 160,and the various devices comprising the MPS 100 can communicate with eachother, for example, via one or more direct connections, PANs,telecommunication networks (e.g., an LTE network or a 5G network, etc.),and/or other suitable communication links.

In some embodiments, audio content sources may be regularly added and/orremoved from the MPS 100. In some embodiments, for example, the MPS 100performs an indexing of media items when one or more media contentsources are updated, added to, and/or removed from the MPS 100. The MPS100 can scan identifiable media items in some or all folders and/ordirectories accessible to the various playback devices and generate orupdate a media content database comprising metadata (e.g., title,artist, album, track length) and other associated information (e.g.,URIs, URLs) for each identifiable media item found. In some embodiments,for example, the media content database is stored on one or more of thevarious playback devices, network microphone devices, and/or controldevices of MPS 100.

As further shown in FIG. 1B, the remote computing devices 106 furtherinclude remote computing device(s) 106 c configured to perform certainoperations, such as remotely facilitating media playback functions,managing device and system status information, directing communicationsbetween the devices of the MPS 100 and one or multiple VASes and/orMCSes, among other operations. In one example, the remote computingdevices 106 c provide cloud servers for one or more SONOS Wireless HiFiSystems.

In various implementations, one or more of the playback devices 110 maytake the form of or include an on-board (e.g., integrated) networkmicrophone device configured to receive sound, including voiceutterances from a user. For example, the playback devices 110 c-110 h,and 110 k include or are otherwise equipped with corresponding NMDs 120c-120 h, and 120 k, respectively. A playback device that includes or isequipped with an NMD may be referred to herein interchangeably as aplayback device or an NMD unless indicated otherwise in the description.In some cases, one or more of the NMDs 120 may be a stand-alone device.For example, the NMD 1201 (FIG. 1A) may be a stand-alone device. Astand-alone NMD may omit components and/or functionality that istypically included in a playback device, such as a speaker or relatedelectronics. For instance, in such cases, a stand-alone NMD may notproduce audio output or may produce limited audio output (e.g.,relatively low-quality audio output).

The various playback and network microphone devices 110 and 120 of theMPS 100 may each be associated with a unique name, which may be assignedto the respective devices by a user, such as during setup of one or moreof these devices. For instance, as shown in the illustrated example ofFIG. 1B, a user may assign the name “Bookcase” to playback device 110 ebecause it is physically situated on a bookcase. Similarly, the NMD 1201may be assigned the named “Island” because it is physically situated onan island countertop in the Kitchen 101 h (FIG. 1A). Some playbackdevices may be assigned names according to a zone or room, such as theplayback devices 110 g, 110 d, and 110 f, which are named “Bedroom,”“Dining Room,” and “Office,” respectively. Further, certain playbackdevices may have functionally descriptive names. For example, theplayback devices 110 k and 110 h are assigned the names “Right” and“Front,” respectively, because these two devices are configured toprovide specific audio channels during media playback in the zone of theDen 101 d (FIG. 1A). The playback device 110 c in the Patio may be named“Portable” because it is battery-powered and/or readily transportable todifferent areas of the environment 101. Other naming conventions arepossible.

As discussed above, an NMD may detect and process sound from itsenvironment, including audio output played by itself, played by otherdevices in the environment 101, and/or sound that includes backgroundnoise mixed with speech spoken by a person in the NMD's vicinity. Forexample, as sounds are detected by the NMD in the environment, the NMDmay process the detected sound to determine if the sound includes speechthat contains voice input intended for the NMD and ultimately aparticular VAS. For example, the NMD may identify whether speechincludes a wake word (also referred to herein as an activation word)associated with a particular VAS.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 1B, the NMDs 120 are configured tointeract with the VAS 190 over the local network 160 and/or the router109. Interactions with the VAS 190 may be initiated, for example, whenan NMD identifies in the detected sound a potential wake word. Theidentification causes a wake-word event, which in turn causes the NMD tobegin transmitting detected-sound data to the VAS 190. In someimplementations, the various local network devices 105, 110, 120, and130 (FIG. 1A) and/or remote computing devices 106 c of the MPS 100 mayexchange various feedback, information, instructions, and/or relateddata with the remote computing devices associated with the selected VAS.Such exchanges may be related to or independent of transmitted messagescontaining voice inputs. In some embodiments, the remote computingdevice(s) and the MPS 100 may exchange data via communication paths asdescribed herein and/or using a metadata exchange channel as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146, issued Nov. 13, 2019, and titled “VoiceControl of a Media Playback System,” which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

Upon receiving the stream of sound data, the VAS 190 may determine ifthere is voice input in the streamed data from the NMD, and if so theVAS 190 may also determine an underlying intent in the voice input. TheVAS 190 may next transmit a response back to the MPS 100, which caninclude transmitting the response directly to the NMD that caused thewake-word event. The response is typically based on the intent that theVAS 190 determined was present in the voice input. As an example, inresponse to the VAS 190 receiving a voice input with an utterance to“Play Hey Jude by The Beatles,” the VAS 190 may determine that theunderlying intent of the voice input is to initiate playback and furtherdetermine that intent of the voice input is to play the particular song“Hey Jude.” After these determinations, the VAS 190 may transmit acommand to a particular MCS 192 to retrieve content (i.e., the song “HeyJude” by The Beatles), and that MCS 192, in turn, provides (e.g.,streams) this content directly to the NIPS 100 or indirectly via the VAS190. In some implementations, the VAS 190 may transmit to the NIPS 100 acommand that causes the MPS 100 itself to retrieve the content from theMCS 192.

In certain implementations, NMDs may facilitate arbitration amongst oneanother when voice input is identified in speech detected by two or moreNMDs located within proximity of one another. For example, theNMD-equipped playback device 110 e in the environment 101 (FIG. 1A) isin relatively close proximity to the NMD-equipped Living Room playbackdevice 120 b, and both devices 110 e and 120 b may at least sometimesdetect the same sound. In such cases, this may require arbitration as towhich device is ultimately responsible for providing detected-sound datato the remote VAS. Examples of arbitrating between NMDs may be found,for example, in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146.

In certain implementations, an NMD may be assigned to, or otherwiseassociated with, a designated or default playback device that may notinclude an NMD. For example, the Island NMD 1201 in the Kitchen 101 h(FIG. 1A) may be assigned to the Dining Room playback device 110 d,which is in relatively close proximity to the Island NMD 1201. Inpractice, an NMD may direct an assigned playback device to play audio inresponse to a remote VAS receiving a voice input from the NMD to playthe audio, which the NMD might have sent to the VAS in response to auser speaking a command to play a certain song, album, playlist, etc.Additional details regarding assigning NMDs and playback devices asdesignated or default devices may be found, for example, in previouslyreferenced U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146.

Further aspects relating to the different components of the example MPS100 and how the different components may interact to provide a user witha media experience may be found in the following sections. Whilediscussions herein may generally refer to the example MPS 100,technologies described herein are not limited to applications within,among other things, the home environment described above. For instance,the technologies described herein may be useful in other homeenvironment configurations comprising more or fewer of any of theplayback devices 110, network microphone devices 120, and/or controldevices 130. For example, the technologies herein may be utilized withinan environment having a single playback device 110 and/or a single NMD120. In some examples of such cases, the local network 160 (FIG. 1B) maybe eliminated and the single playback device 110 and/or the single NMD120 may communicate directly with the remote computing devices 106 a-c.In some embodiments, a telecommunication network (e.g., an LTE network,a 5G network, etc.) may communicate with the various playback devices110, network microphone devices 120, and/or control devices 130independent of the local network 160.

b. Suitable Playback Devices

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of the playback device 110 a comprising aninput/output 111. The input/output 111 can include an analog I/O 111 a(e.g., one or more wires, cables, and/or other suitable communicationlinks configured to carry analog signals) and/or a digital I/O 111 b(e.g., one or more wires, cables, or other suitable communication linksconfigured to carry digital signals). In some embodiments, the analogI/O 111 a is an audio line-in input connection comprising, for example,an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-in connection. In some embodiments,the digital I/O 111 b comprises a Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format(S/PDIF) communication interface and/or cable and/or a Toshiba Link(TOSLINK) cable. In some embodiments, the digital I/O 111 b comprises aHigh-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) interface and/or cable. Insome embodiments, the digital I/O 111 b includes one or more wirelesscommunication links comprising, for example, a radio frequency (RF),infrared, WIFI, BLUETOOTH, or another suitable communication protocol.In certain embodiments, the analog I/O 111 a and the digital I/O 111 bcomprise interfaces (e.g., ports, plugs, jacks) configured to receiveconnectors of cables transmitting analog and digital signals,respectively, without necessarily including cables.

The playback device 110 a, for example, can receive media content (e.g.,audio content comprising music and/or other sounds) from a local audiosource 150 via the input/output 111 (e.g., a cable, a wire, a PAN, aBLUETOOTH connection, an ad hoc wired or wireless communication network,and/or another suitable communication link). The local audio source 150can comprise, for example, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, atablet, a laptop computer) or another suitable audio component (e.g., atelevision, a desktop computer, an amplifier, a phonograph, a Blu-rayplayer, a memory storing digital media files). In some aspects, thelocal audio source 150 includes local music libraries on a smartphone, acomputer, a networked-attached storage (NAS), and/or another suitabledevice configured to store media files. In certain embodiments, one ormore of the playback devices 110, NMDs 120, and/or control devices 130comprise the local audio source 150. In other embodiments, however, themedia playback system omits the local audio source 150 altogether. Insome embodiments, the playback device 110 a does not include aninput/output 111 and receives all audio content via the local network160.

The playback device 110 a further comprises electronics 112, a userinterface 113 (e.g., one or more buttons, knobs, dials, touch-sensitivesurfaces, displays, touchscreens), and one or more transducers 114(e.g., a driver), referred to hereinafter as “the transducers 114.” Theelectronics 112 is configured to receive audio from an audio source(e.g., the local audio source 150) via the input/output 111, one or moreof the computing devices 106 a-c via the local network 160 (FIG. 1B),amplify the received audio, and output the amplified audio for playbackvia one or more of the transducers 114. In some embodiments, theplayback device 110 a optionally includes one or more microphones 115(e.g., a single microphone, a plurality of microphones, a microphonearray) (hereinafter referred to as “the microphones 115”). In certainembodiments, for example, the playback device 110 a having one or moreof the optional microphones 115 can operate as an NMD configured toreceive voice input from a user and correspondingly perform one or moreoperations based on the received voice input, which will be discussed inmore detail further below with respect to FIGS. 1F and 1G.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1C, the electronics 112 compriseone or more processors 112 a (referred to hereinafter as “the processors112 a”), memory 112 b, software components 112 c, a network interface112 d, one or more audio processing components 112 g (also referred toherein as “the audio components 112 g”), one or more audio amplifiers112 h (referred to hereinafter as “the amplifiers 112 h”), and powercomponents 112 i (e.g., one or more power supplies, power cables, powerreceptacles, batteries, induction coils, Power-over Ethernet (POE)interfaces, and/or other suitable sources of electric power).

In some embodiments, the electronics 112 optionally include one or moreother components 112 j (e.g., one or more sensors, video displays,touchscreens, battery charging bases). In some embodiments, the playbackdevice 110 a and electronics 112 may further include one or more voiceprocessing components that are operable coupled to one or moremicrophones, and other components as described below with reference toFIGS. 1F and 1G.

The processors 112 a can comprise clock-driven computing component(s)configured to process data, and the memory 112 b can comprise acomputer-readable medium (e.g., a tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, data storage loaded with one or more of thesoftware components 112 c) configured to store instructions forperforming various operations and/or functions. The processors 112 a areconfigured to execute the instructions stored on the memory 112 b toperform one or more of the operations. The operations can include, forexample, causing the playback device 110 a to retrieve audio data froman audio source (e.g., one or more of the computing devices 106 a-c(FIG. 1B)), and/or another one of the playback devices 110. In someembodiments, the operations further include causing the playback device110 a to send audio data to another one of the playback devices 110 aand/or another device (e.g., one of the NMDs 120). Certain embodimentsinclude operations causing the playback device 110 a to pair withanother of the one or more playback devices 110 to enable amulti-channel audio environment (e.g., a stereo pair, a bonded zone).

The processors 112 a can be further configured to perform operationscausing the playback device 110 a to synchronize playback of audiocontent with another of the one or more playback devices 110. As thoseof ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, during synchronousplayback of audio content on a plurality of playback devices, a listenerwill preferably be unable to perceive time-delay differences betweenplayback of the audio content by the playback device 110 a and the otherone or more other playback devices 110. Additional details regardingaudio playback synchronization among playback devices and/or zones canbe found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395 entitled “System andmethod for synchronizing operations among a plurality of independentlyclocked digital data processing devices,” which is herein incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the memory 112 b is further configured to storedata associated with the playback device 110 a, such as one or morezones and/or zone groups of which the playback device 110 a is a member,audio sources accessible to the playback device 110 a, and/or a playbackqueue that the playback device 110 a (and/or another of the one or moreplayback devices) can be associated with. The stored data can compriseone or more state variables that are periodically updated and used todescribe a state of the playback device 110 a. The memory 112 b can alsoinclude data associated with a state of one or more of the other devices(e.g., the playback devices 110, NMDs 120, control devices 130) of theMPS 100. In some aspects, for example, the state data is shared duringpredetermined intervals of time (e.g., every 5 seconds, every 10seconds, every 60 seconds) among at least a portion of the devices ofthe MPS 100, so that one or more of the devices have the most recentdata associated with the MPS 100.

The network interface 112 d is configured to facilitate a transmissionof data between the playback device 110 a and one or more other deviceson a data network. The network interface 112 d is configured to transmitand receive data corresponding to media content (e.g., audio content,video content, text, photographs) and other signals (e.g.,non-transitory signals) comprising digital packet data including anInternet Protocol (IP)-based source address and/or an IP-baseddestination address. The network interface 112 d can parse the digitalpacket data such that the electronics 112 properly receives andprocesses the data destined for the playback device 110 a.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1C, the network interface 112 dcomprises one or more wireless interfaces 112 e (referred to hereinafteras “the wireless interface 112 e”). The wireless interface 112 e (e.g.,a suitable interface comprising one or more antennae) can be configuredto wirelessly communicate with one or more other devices (e.g., one ormore of the other playback devices 110, NMDs 120, and/or control devices130) that are communicatively coupled to the local network 160 (FIG. 1B)in accordance with a suitable wireless communication protocol (e.g.,WIFI, BLUETOOTH, LTE). In some embodiments, the network interface 112 doptionally includes a wired interface 112 f (e.g., an interface orreceptacle configured to receive a network cable such as an Ethernet, aUSB-A, USB-C, and/or Thunderbolt cable) configured to communicate over awired connection with other devices in accordance with a suitable wiredcommunication protocol. In certain embodiments, the network interface112 d includes the wired interface 112 f and excludes the wirelessinterface 112 e. In some embodiments, the electronics 112 excludes thenetwork interface 112 d altogether and transmits and receives mediacontent and/or other data via another communication path (e.g., theinput/output 111).

The audio processing components 112 g are configured to process and/orfilter data comprising media content received by the electronics 112(e.g., via the input/output 111 and/or the network interface 112 d) toproduce output audio signals. In some embodiments, the audio processingcomponents 112 g comprise, for example, one or more digital-to-analogconverters (DAC), audio preprocessing components, audio enhancementcomponents, a digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other suitableaudio processing components, modules, circuits, etc. In certainembodiments, one or more of the audio processing components 112 g cancomprise one or more subcomponents of the processors 112 a. In someembodiments, the electronics 112 omits the audio processing components112 g. In some aspects, for example, the processors 112 a executeinstructions stored on the memory 112 b to perform audio processingoperations to produce the output audio signals.

The amplifiers 112 h are configured to receive and amplify the audiooutput signals produced by the audio processing components 112 g and/orthe processors 112 a. The amplifiers 112 h can comprise electronicdevices and/or components configured to amplify audio signals to levelssufficient for driving one or more of the transducers 114. In someembodiments, for example, the amplifiers 112 h include one or moreswitching or class-D power amplifiers. In other embodiments, however,the amplifiers include one or more other types of power amplifiers(e.g., linear gain power amplifiers, class-A amplifiers, class-Bamplifiers, class-AB amplifiers, class-C amplifiers, class-D amplifiers,class-E amplifiers, class-F amplifiers, class-G and/or class Hamplifiers, and/or another suitable type of power amplifier). In certainembodiments, the amplifiers 112 h comprise a suitable combination of twoor more of the foregoing types of power amplifiers. Moreover, in someembodiments, individual ones of the amplifiers 112 h correspond toindividual ones of the transducers 114. In other embodiments, however,the electronics 112 includes a single one of the amplifiers 112 hconfigured to output amplified audio signals to a plurality of thetransducers 114. In some other embodiments, the electronics 112 omitsthe amplifiers 112 h.

In some implementations, the power components 112 i of the playbackdevice 110 a may additionally include an internal power source (e.g.,one or more batteries) configured to power the playback device 110 awithout a physical connection to an external power source. When equippedwith the internal power source, the playback device 110 a may operateindependent of an external power source. In some such implementations,an external power source interface may be configured to facilitatecharging the internal power source 229. As discussed before, a playbackdevice comprising an internal power source may be referred to herein asa “portable playback device.” On the other hand, a playback device thatoperates using an external power source may be referred to herein as a“stationary playback device,” although such a device may in fact bemoved around a home or other environment.

The user interface 113 may facilitate user interactions independent ofor in conjunction with user interactions facilitated by one or more ofthe control devices 130 (FIG. 1A). In various embodiments, the userinterface 113 includes one or more physical buttons and/or supportsgraphical interfaces provided on touch sensitive screen(s) and/orsurface(s), among other possibilities, for a user to directly provideinput. The user interface 113 may further include one or more lightcomponents (e.g., LEDs) and the speakers to provide visual and/or audiofeedback to a user.

The transducers 114 (e.g., one or more speakers and/or speaker drivers)receive the amplified audio signals from the amplifier 112 h and renderor output the amplified audio signals as sound (e.g., audible soundwaves having a frequency between about 20 Hertz (Hz) and 20 kilohertz(kHz)). In some embodiments, the transducers 114 can comprise a singletransducer. In other embodiments, however, the transducers 114 comprisea plurality of audio transducers. In some embodiments, the transducers114 comprise more than one type of transducer. For example, thetransducers 114 can include one or more low frequency transducers (e.g.,subwoofers, woofers), mid-range frequency transducers (e.g., mid-rangetransducers, mid-woofers), and one or more high frequency transducers(e.g., one or more tweeters). As used herein, “low frequency” cangenerally refer to audible frequencies below about 500 Hz, “mid-rangefrequency” can generally refer to audible frequencies between about 500Hz and about 2 kHz, and “high frequency” can generally refer to audiblefrequencies above 2 kHz. In certain embodiments, however, one or more ofthe transducers 114 comprise transducers that do not adhere to theforegoing frequency ranges. For example, one of the transducers 114 maycomprise a mid-woofer transducer configured to output sound atfrequencies between about 200 Hz and about 5 kHz.

In some embodiments, the playback device 110 a may include a speakerinterface for connecting the playback device to external speakers. Inother embodiments, the playback device 110 a may include an audiointerface for connecting the playback device to an external audioamplifier or audio-visual receiver.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. presently offers (or has offered)for sale certain playback devices including, for example, a “SONOS ONE,”“PLAY:1,” “PLAY:3,” “PLAY:5,” “PLAYBAR,” “PLAYBASE,” “CONNECT:AMP,”“CONNECT,” “SUB,” “ARC,” “MOVE,” and “ROAM.” Other suitable playbackdevices may additionally or alternatively be used to implement theplayback devices of example embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally,one of ordinary skilled in the art will appreciate that a playbackdevice is not limited to the examples described herein or to SONOSproduct offerings. In some embodiments, for example, one or moreplayback devices 110 comprises wired or wireless headphones (e.g.,over-the-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, in-ear earphones). In otherembodiments, one or more of the playback devices 110 comprise a dockingstation and/or an interface configured to interact with a dockingstation for personal mobile media playback devices. In certainembodiments, a playback device may be integral to another device orcomponent such as a television, a lighting fixture, or some other devicefor indoor or outdoor use. In some embodiments, a playback device mayomit a user interface and/or one or more transducers. For example, FIG.1D is a block diagram of a playback device 110 p comprising theinput/output 111 and electronics 112 without the user interface 113 ortransducers 114.

FIG. 1E is a block diagram of a bonded playback device 110 q comprisingthe playback device 110 a (FIG. 1C) sonically bonded with the playbackdevice 110 i (e.g., a subwoofer) (FIG. 1A). In the illustratedembodiment, the playback devices 110 a and 110 i are separate ones ofthe playback devices 110 housed in separate enclosures. In someembodiments, however, the bonded playback device 110 q comprises asingle enclosure housing both the playback devices 110 a and 110 i. Thebonded playback device 110 q can be configured to process and reproducesound differently than an unbonded playback device (e.g., the playbackdevice 110 a of FIG. 1C) and/or paired or bonded playback devices (e.g.,the playback devices 110 l and 110 m of FIG. 1B). In some embodiments,for example, the playback device 110 a is full-range playback deviceconfigured to render low frequency, mid-range frequency, and highfrequency audio content, and the playback device 110 i is a subwooferconfigured to render low frequency audio content. In some aspects, theplayback device 110 a, when bonded with playback device 110 i, isconfigured to render only the mid-range and high frequency components ofa particular audio content, while the playback device 110 i renders thelow frequency component of the particular audio content. In someembodiments, the bonded playback device 110 q includes additionalplayback devices and/or another bonded playback device.

In some embodiments, one or more of the playback devices 110 may takethe form of a wired and/or wireless headphone (e.g., an over-earheadset, an on-ear headset, or an in-ear headset). For instance, FIG. 4shows an example headset assembly 400 (“headset 400”) for such animplementation of one of the playback devices 110. As shown, the headset400 includes a headband 402 that couples a first earcup 404 a to asecond earcup 404 b. Each of the earcups 404 a and 0244 b may house anyportion of the electronic components in the playback device 110, such asone or more speakers. Further, one or more of the earcups 404 a and 404b may include a user interface for controlling audio playback, volumelevel, and other functions. The user interface may include any of avariety of control elements such as a physical button 408, a slider, aknob, and/or a touch control surface. As shown in FIG. 4 , the headset400 may further include ear cushions 406 a and 406 b that are coupled toear cups 404 a and 404 b, respectively. The ear cushions 406 a and 406 bmay provide a soft barrier between the head of a user and the earcups404 a and 404 b, respectively, to improve user comfort and/or provideacoustic isolation from the ambient (e.g., passive noise reduction(PNR)).

As described in greater detail below, the electronic components of aplayback device may include one or more network interface components(not shown in FIG. 4 ) to facilitate wireless communication over onemore communication links. For instance, a playback device maycommunicate over a first communication link 401 a (e.g., a BLUETOOTHlink) with one of the control devices 130, such as the control device130 a, and/or over a second communication link 401 b (e.g., a WIFI orcellular link) with one or more other computing devices 410 (e.g., anetwork router and/or a remote server). As another possibility, aplayback device may communicate over multiple communication links, suchas the first communication link 401 a with the control device 130 a anda third communication link 401 c (e.g., a WIFI or cellular link) betweenthe control device 130 a and the one or more other computing devices410. Thus, the control device 130 a may function as an intermediarybetween the playback device and the one or more other computing devices410, in some embodiments.

In some instances, the headphone device may take the form of a hearabledevice. Hearable devices may include those headphone devices (includingear-level devices) that are configured to provide a hearing enhancementfunction while also supporting playback of media content (e.g.,streaming media content from a user device over a PAN, streaming mediacontent from a streaming music service provider over a WLAN and/or acellular network connection, etc.). In some instances, a hearable devicemay be implemented as an in-ear headphone device that is configured toplayback an amplified version of at least some sounds detected from anexternal environment (e.g., all sound, select sounds such as humanspeech, etc.)

It should be appreciated that one or more of the playback devices 110may take the form of other wearable devices separate and apart from aheadphone device. Wearable devices may include those devices configuredto be worn about a portion of a user (e.g., a head, a neck, a torso, anarm, a wrist, a finger, a leg, an ankle, etc.). For example, theplayback devices 110 may take the form of a pair of glasses including aframe front (e.g., configured to hold one or more lenses), a firsttemple rotatably coupled to the frame front, and a second templerotatable coupled to the frame front. In this example, the pair ofglasses may comprise one or more transducers integrated into at leastone of the first and second temples and configured to project soundtowards an ear of the subject.

c. Suitable Network Microphone Devices (NMDs)

FIG. 1F is a block diagram of the NMD 120 a (FIGS. 1A and 1B). The NMD120 a includes one or more voice processing components 124 (alsoreferred to herein as “the voice components 124”) and several componentsdescribed with respect to the playback device 110 a (FIG. 1C) includingthe processors 112 a, the memory 112 b, and the microphones 115. The NMD120 a optionally comprises other components also included in theplayback device 110 a (FIG. 1C), such as the user interface 113 and/orthe transducers 114. In some embodiments, the NMD 120 a is configured asa media playback device (e.g., one or more of the playback devices 110),and further includes, for example, one or more of the audio processingcomponents 112 g (FIG. 1C), the transducers 114, and/or other playbackdevice components. In certain embodiments, the NMD 120 a comprises anInternet of Things (IoT) device such as, for example, a thermostat,alarm panel, fire and/or smoke detector, etc. In some embodiments, theNMD 120 a comprises the microphones 115, the voice processing components124, and only a portion of the components of the electronics 112described above with respect to FIG. 1C. In some aspects, for example,the NMD 120 a includes the processor 112 a and the memory 112 b (FIG.1C), while omitting one or more other components of the electronics 112.In some embodiments, the NMD 120 a includes additional components (e.g.,one or more sensors, cameras, thermometers, barometers, hygrometers).

In some embodiments, an NMD can be integrated into a playback device.FIG. 1G is a block diagram of a playback device 110 r comprising an NMD120 d. The playback device 110 r can comprise many or all of thecomponents of the playback device 110 a and further include themicrophones 115 and voice processing components 124 (FIG. 1F). Themicrophones 115 are configured to detect sound (i.e., acoustic waves) inthe environment of the playback device 110 r, which may then be providedto voice processing components 124. More specifically, each microphone115 is configured to detect sound and convert the sound into a digitalor analog signal representative of the detected sound, which can thencause the voice processing component to perform various functions basedon the detected sound, as described in greater detail below. In someimplementations, the microphones 115 may be arranged as an array ofmicrophones (e.g., an array of six microphones). In some implementationsthe playback device 110 r may include fewer than six microphones or morethan six microphones. The playback device 110 r optionally includes anintegrated control device 130 c. The control device 130 c can comprise,for example, a user interface configured to receive user input (e.g.,touch input, voice input) without a separate control device. In otherembodiments, however, the playback device 110 r receives commands fromanother control device (e.g., the control device 130 a of FIG. 1B).

In operation, the voice-processing components 124 are generallyconfigured to detect and process sound received via the microphones 115,identify potential voice input in the detected sound, and extractdetected-sound data to enable a VAS, such as the VAS 190 (FIG. 1B), toprocess voice input identified in the detected-sound data. The voiceprocessing components 124 may include one or more analog-to-digitalconverters, an acoustic echo canceller (“AEC”), a spatial processor(e.g., one or more multi-channel Wiener filters, one or more otherfilters, and/or one or more beam former components), one or more buffers(e.g., one or more circular buffers), one or more wake-word engines, oneor more voice extractors, and/or one or more speech processingcomponents (e.g., components configured to recognize a voice of aparticular user or a particular set of users associated with ahousehold), among other example voice processing components. In exampleimplementations, the voice processing components 124 may include orotherwise take the form of one or more DSPs or one or more modules of aDSP. In this respect, certain voice processing components 124 may beconfigured with particular parameters (e.g., gain and/or spectralparameters) that may be modified or otherwise tuned to achieveparticular functions. In some implementations, one or more of the voiceprocessing components 124 may be a subcomponent of the processor 112 a.

In some implementations, the voice-processing components 124 may detectand store a user's voice profile, which may be associated with a useraccount of the MPS 100. For example, voice profiles may be stored asand/or compared to variables stored in a set of command information ordata table. The voice profile may include aspects of the tone offrequency of a user's voice and/or other unique aspects of the user'svoice, such as those described in previously-referenced U.S. PatentPublication No. 10,499,146.

Referring again to FIG. 1F, the microphones 115 are configured toacquire, capture, and/or receive sound from an environment (e.g., theenvironment 101 of FIG. 1A) and/or a room in which the NMD 120 a ispositioned. The received sound can include, for example, vocalutterances, audio played back by the NMD 120 a and/or another playbackdevice, background voices, ambient sounds, etc. The microphones 115convert the received sound into electrical signals to produce microphonedata. The NMD 120 a may use the microphone data (or transmit themicrophone data to another device) for calibrating the audiocharacteristics of one or more playback devices 110 in the MPS 100. Asanother example, one or more of the playback devices 110, NMDs 120,and/or control devices 130 of the MPS 100 may transmit audio tones(e.g., ultrasonic tones, infrasonic tones) that may be detectable by themicrophones 115 of other devices, and which may convey information suchas a proximity and/or identity of the transmitting device, a mediaplayback system command, etc. As yet another example, the voiceprocessing components 124 may receive and analyze the microphone data todetermine whether a voice input is present in the microphone data. Thevoice input can comprise, for example, an activation word followed by anutterance including a user request. As those of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate, an activation word is a word or other audio cuethat signifying a user voice input. For instance, in querying theAMAZON® VAS, a user might speak the activation word “Alexa.” Otherexamples include “Ok, Google” for invoking the GOOGLE® VAS and “Hey,Siri” for invoking the APPLE® VAS.

After detecting the activation word, voice processing components 124monitor the microphone data for an accompanying user request in thevoice input. The user request may include, for example, a command tocontrol a third-party device, such as a thermostat (e.g., NEST®thermostat), an illumination device (e.g., a PHILIPS HUE® lightingdevice), or a media playback device (e.g., a Sonos® playback device).For example, a user might speak the activation word “Alexa” followed bythe utterance “set the thermostat to 68 degrees” to set a temperature ina home (e.g., the environment 101 of FIG. 1A). The user might speak thesame activation word followed by the utterance “turn on the living room”to turn on illumination devices in a living room area of the home. Theuser may similarly speak an activation word followed by a request toplay a particular song, an album, or a playlist of music on a playbackdevice in the home.

d. Suitable Controller Devices

FIG. 1H is a partially schematic diagram of one example of the controldevice 130 a (FIGS. 1A and 1B). As used herein, the term “controldevice” can be used interchangeably with “controller,” “controllerdevice,” or “control system.” Among other features, the control device130 a is configured to receive user input related to the MPS 100 and, inresponse, cause one or more devices in the MPS 100 to perform anaction(s) and/or an operation(s) corresponding to the user input. In theillustrated embodiment, the control device 130 a comprises a smartphone(e.g., an iPhone™, an Android phone) on which media playback systemcontroller application software is installed. In some embodiments, thecontrol device 130 a comprises, for example, a tablet (e.g., an iPad™),a computer (e.g., a laptop computer, a desktop computer), and/or anothersuitable device (e.g., a television, an automobile audio head unit, anIoT device). In certain embodiments, the control device 130 a comprisesa dedicated controller for the MPS 100. In other embodiments, asdescribed above with respect to FIG. 1G, the control device 130 a isintegrated into another device in the MPS 100 (e.g., one more of theplayback devices 110, NMDs 120, and/or other suitable devices configuredto communicate over a network).

The control device 130 a includes electronics 132, a user interface 133,one or more speakers 134, and one or more microphones 135. Theelectronics 132 comprise one or more processors 132 a (referred tohereinafter as “the processor(s) 132 a”), a memory 132 b, softwarecomponents 132 c, and a network interface 132 d. The processor(s) 132 acan be configured to perform functions relevant to facilitating useraccess, control, and configuration of the MPS 100. The memory 132 b cancomprise data storage that can be loaded with one or more of thesoftware components executable by the processor(s) 132 a to performthose functions. The software components 132 c can comprise applicationsand/or other executable software configured to facilitate control of theMPS 100. The memory 132 b can be configured to store, for example, thesoftware components 132 c, media playback system controller applicationsoftware, and/or other data associated with the MPS 100 and the user.

The network interface 132 d is configured to facilitate networkcommunications between the control device 130 a and one or more otherdevices in the MPS 100, and/or one or more remote devices. In someembodiments, the network interface 132 d is configured to operateaccording to one or more suitable communication industry standards(e.g., infrared, radio, wired standards including IEEE 802.3, wirelessstandards including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.12, 802.11ac,802.15, 4G, LTE). The network interface 132 d can be configured, forexample, to transmit data to and/or receive data from the playbackdevices 110, the NMDs 120, other ones of the control devices 130, one ofthe computing devices 106 of FIG. 1B, devices comprising one or moreother media playback systems, etc. The transmitted and/or received datacan include, for example, playback device control commands, statevariables, playback zone and/or zone group configurations. For instance,based on user input received at the user interface 133, the networkinterface 132 d can transmit a playback device control command (e.g.,volume control, audio playback control, audio content selection) fromthe control device 130 a to one or more of the playback devices 110. Thenetwork interface 132 d can also transmit and/or receive configurationchanges such as, for example, adding/removing one or more playbackdevices 110 to/from a zone, adding/removing one or more zones to/from azone group, forming a bonded or consolidated player, separating one ormore playback devices from a bonded or consolidated player, among otherchanges. Additional description of zones and groups can be found belowwith respect to FIGS. 1J through 2 .

The user interface 133 is configured to receive user input and canfacilitate control of the MPS 100. The user interface 133 includes mediacontent art 133 a (e.g., album art, lyrics, videos), a playback statusindicator 133 b (e.g., an elapsed and/or remaining time indicator),media content information region 133 c, a playback control region 133 d,and a zone indicator 133 e. The media content information region 133 ccan include a display of relevant information (e.g., title, artist,album, genre, release year) about media content currently playing and/ormedia content in a queue or playlist. The playback control region 133 dcan include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor oranother suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devicesin a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actionssuch as, for example, play or pause, fast forward, rewind, skip to next,skip to previous, enter/exit shuffle mode, enter/exit repeat mode,enter/exit cross fade mode, etc. The playback control region 133 d mayalso include selectable icons to modify equalization settings, playbackvolume, and/or other suitable playback actions. In the illustratedembodiment, the user interface 133 comprises a display presented on atouch screen interface of a smartphone (e.g., an iPhone™, an Androidphone, etc.). In some embodiments, however, user interfaces of varyingformats, styles, and interactive sequences may alternatively beimplemented on one or more network devices to provide comparable controlaccess to a media playback system. FIG. 1I shows two additional exampleuser interface displays 133 f and 133 g of user interface 133.Additional examples are also possible.

The one or more speakers 134 (e.g., one or more transducers) can beconfigured to output sound to the user of the control device 130 a. Insome embodiments, the one or more speakers comprise individualtransducers configured to correspondingly output low frequencies,mid-range frequencies, and/or high frequencies. In some aspects, forexample, the control device 130 a is configured as a playback device(e.g., one of the playback devices 110). Similarly, in some embodimentsthe control device 130 a is configured as an NMD (e.g., one of the NMDs120), receiving voice commands and other sounds via the one or moremicrophones 135.

The one or more microphones 135 can comprise, for example, one or morecondenser microphones, electret condenser microphones, dynamicmicrophones, and/or other suitable types of microphones or transducers.In some embodiments, two or more of the microphones 135 are arranged tocapture location information of an audio source (e.g., voice, audiblesound) and/or configured to facilitate filtering of background noise.Moreover, in certain embodiments, the control device 130 a is configuredto operate as playback device and an NMD. In other embodiments, however,the control device 130 a omits the one or more speakers 134 and/or theone or more microphones 135. For instance, the control device 130 a maycomprise a device (e.g., a thermostat, an IoT device, a network device,etc.) comprising a portion of the electronics 132 and the user interface133 (e.g., a touch screen) without any speakers or microphones.

e. Suitable Playback Device Configurations

FIGS. 1J, 1K, 1L, 1M, and 2 show example configurations of playbackdevices in zones and zone groups. Referring first to FIG. 2 , in oneexample, a single playback device may belong to a zone. For example, theplayback device 110 g in the Second Bedroom 101 c (FIG. 1A) may belongto Zone C. In some implementations described below, multiple playbackdevices may be “bonded” to form a “bonded pair” which together form asingle zone. For example, the playback device 110 l (e.g., a leftplayback device) can be bonded to the playback device 110 m (e.g., aright playback device) to form Zone B. Bonded playback devices may havedifferent playback responsibilities (e.g., channel responsibilities), aswill be described in more detail further below. In otherimplementations, multiple playback devices may be merged to form asingle zone. As one example, the playback device 110 a can be bonded tothe playback device 110 n and the NMD 120 c to form Zone A. As anotherexample, the playback device 110 h (e.g., a front playback device) maybe merged with the playback device 110 i (e.g., a subwoofer), and theplayback devices 110 j and 110 k (e.g., left and right surroundspeakers, respectively) to form a single Zone D. In yet otherimplementations, one or more playback zones can be merged to form a zonegroup (which may also be referred to herein as a merged group). As oneexample, the playback zones Zone A and Zone B can be merged to form ZoneGroup 108 a. As another example, the playback zones Zone G and Zone Hcan be merged to form Zone Group 108 b. The merged playback zones Zone Gand Zone H may not be specifically assigned different playbackresponsibilities. That is, the merged playback zones Zone G and Zone Hmay, aside from playing audio content in synchrony, each play audiocontent as they would if they were not merged and operating asindependent zones.

Each zone in the MPS 100 may be provided for control as a single userinterface (UI) entity represented in the UI. For example, Zone A may beprovided as a single entity named Master Bathroom. Zone B may beprovided as a single entity named Master Bedroom. Zone C may be providedas a single entity named Second Bedroom.

In some implementations, as mentioned above playback devices that arebonded may have different playback responsibilities, such asresponsibilities for certain audio channels. For example, as shown inFIG. 1J, the playback devices 110 l and 110 m may be bonded so as toproduce or enhance a stereo effect of audio content. In this example,the playback device 110 l may be configured to play a left channel audiocomponent, while the playback device 110 k may be configured to play aright channel audio component. In some implementations, such stereobonding may be referred to as “pairing.”

Additionally, bonded playback devices may have additional and/ordifferent respective speaker drivers. As shown in FIG. 1K, the playbackdevice 110 h named Front may be bonded with the playback device 110 inamed SUB. The Front device 110 h can be configured to render a range ofmid to high frequencies and the SUB device 110 i can be configured torender low frequencies. When unbonded, however, the Front device 110 hcan be configured to render a full range of frequencies. As anotherexample, FIG. 1L shows the Front and SUB devices 110 h and 110 i furtherbonded with Left and Right playback devices 110 j and 110 k,respectively. In some implementations, the Right and Left devices 110 jand 110 k can be configured to form surround or “satellite” channels ofa home theater system. The bonded playback devices 110 h, 110 i, 110 j,and 110 k may form a single Zone D (FIG. 2 ).

In other implementations, playback devices that are merged may not haveassigned playback responsibilities and may each render the full range ofaudio content of which the respective playback device is capable of.Nevertheless, merged devices may be represented as a single UI entity(i.e., a zone, as discussed above). For instance, the playback devices110 a and 110 n in the Master Bathroom have the single UI entity of ZoneA. In one embodiment, the playback devices 110 a and 110 n may eachoutput the full range of audio content of which each respective playbackdevices 110 a and 110 n is capable, in synchrony.

In some embodiments, an NMD may be bonded or merged with one or moreother devices so as to form a zone. As one example, the NMD 120 c may bemerged with the playback devices 110 a and 110 n to form Zone A. Asanother example, the NMD 120 b may be bonded with the playback device110 e, which together form Zone F, named Living Room. In otherembodiments, a stand-alone network microphone device may be in a zone byitself. In other embodiments, however, a stand-alone network microphonedevice may not be associated with a zone. Additional details regardingassociating network microphone devices and playback devices asdesignated or default devices may be found, for example, in previouslyreferenced U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146.

As mentioned above, in some implementations, zones of individual,bonded, and/or merged devices may be grouped to form a zone group. Forexample, referring to FIG. 1N, Zone A may be grouped with Zone B to forma zone group 108 a that includes the two zones, and Zone G may begrouped with Zone H to form the zone group 108 b. However, other zonegroupings are also possible. For example, Zone A may be grouped with oneor more other Zones C-I. The Zones A-I may be grouped and ungrouped innumerous ways. For example, three, four, five, or more (e.g., all) ofthe Zones A-I may be grouped at any given time. When grouped, the zonesof individual and/or bonded playback devices may play back audio insynchrony with one another, as described in previously referenced U.S.Pat. No. 8,234,395. Playback devices may be dynamically grouped andungrouped to form new or different groups that synchronously play backaudio content.

In various implementations, the zone groups in an environment may benamed by according to a name of a zone within the group or a combinationof the names of the zones within a zone group. For example, Zone Group108 b can be assigned a name such as “Dining+Kitchen”, as shown in FIG.2 . In other implementations, a zone group may be given a unique nameselected by a user.

Certain data may be stored in a memory of a playback device (e.g., thememory 112 c of FIG. 1C) as one or more state variables that areperiodically updated and used to describe the state of a playback zone,the playback device(s), and/or a zone group associated therewith. Thememory may also include the data associated with the state of the otherdevices of the media system and shared from time to time among thedevices so that one or more of the devices have the most recent dataassociated with the system.

In some embodiments, the memory may store instances of various variabletypes associated with the states. Variables instances may be stored withidentifiers (e.g., tags) corresponding to type. For example, certainidentifiers may be a first type “al” to identify playback device(s) of azone, a second type “b1” to identify playback device(s) that may bebonded in the zone, and a third type “c1” to identify a zone group towhich the zone may belong. As a related example, identifiers associatedwith the Second Bedroom 101 c may indicate (i) that the playback device110 g is the only playback device of the Zone C and (ii) that Zone C isnot in a zone group. Identifiers associated with the Den 101 d mayindicate that the Den 101 d is not grouped with other zones but includesbonded playback devices 110 h-110 k. Identifiers associated with theDining Room 101 g may indicate that the Dining Room 101 g is part of theDining+Kitchen Zone Group 108 b and that devices 110 d and 110 b(Kitchen 101 h) are grouped (FIG. 1M). Identifiers associated with theKitchen 101 h may indicate the same or similar information by virtue ofthe Kitchen 101 h being part of the Dining+Kitchen Zone Group 108 b.Other example zone variables and identifiers are described below.

In yet another example, the MPS 100 may include variables or identifiersrepresenting other associations of zones and zone groups, such asidentifiers associated with Areas, as shown in FIG. 2 . An area mayinvolve a cluster of zone groups and/or zones not within a zone group.For instance, FIG. 2 shows an Upper Area 109 a including Zones A-D, anda Lower Area 109 b including Zones E-I. In one aspect, an Area may beused to invoke a cluster of zone groups and/or zones that share one ormore zones and/or zone groups of another cluster. In another aspect,this differs from a zone group, which does not share a zone with anotherzone group. Further examples of techniques for implementing Areas may befound, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 10,712,997 filed Aug. 21, 2017,issued Jul. 14, 2020, and titled “Room Association Based on Name,” andU.S. Pat. No. 8,483,853, filed Sep. 11, 2007, issued Jul. 9, 2013, andtitled “Controlling and manipulating groupings in a multi-zone mediasystem.” Each of these applications is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety. In some embodiments, the MPS 100 may not implementAreas, in which case the system may not store variables associated withAreas.

FIG. 3 shows an example housing 330 of the playback device 110 thatincludes a user interface in the form of a control area 332 at a topportion 334 of the housing 330. The control area 332 includes buttons336 a, 336 b, and 336 c for controlling audio playback, volume level,and other functions. The control area 332 also includes a button 336 dfor toggling one or more microphones (not visible in FIG. 3 ) of theplayback device 110 to either an on state or an off state. The controlarea 332 is at least partially surrounded by apertures formed in the topportion 334 of the housing 330 through which the microphones receive thesound in the environment of the playback device 110. The microphones maybe arranged in various positions along and/or within the top portion 334or other areas of the housing 330 so as to detect sound from one or moredirections relative to the playback device 110.

In some embodiments, the playback device 110 may take the form of awired and/or wireless headphone (e.g., an over-ear headset, an on-earheadset, or an in-ear headset). For instance, FIG. 4 shows an exampleheadset assembly 400 (“headset 400”) for such an implementation of theplayback device 110. As shown, the headset 400 includes a headband 402that couples a first earcup 404 a to a second earcup 404 b. Each of theearcups 404 a and 404 b may house any portion of the electroniccomponents in the playback device 110, such as one or more speakers.Further, one or more of the earcups 404 a and 404 b may include a userinterface for controlling audio playback, volume level, and otherfunctions. The user interface may include any of a variety of controlelements such as a physical button 408, a slider, a knob, and/or a touchcontrol surface. As shown in FIG. 4 , the headset 400 may furtherinclude ear cushions 406 a and 406 b that are coupled to ear cups 404 aand 404 b, respectively. The ear cushions 406 a and 406 b may provide asoft barrier between the head of a user and the earcups 404 a and 404 b,respectively, to improve user comfort and/or provide acoustic isolationfrom the ambient (e.g., passive noise reduction (PNR)).

f. Audio Content

Audio content may be any type of audio content now known or laterdeveloped. For example, in some embodiments, the audio content includesany one or more of: (i) streaming music or other audio obtained from astreaming media service, such as Spotify, Pandora, or other streamingmedia services; (ii) streaming music or other audio from a local musiclibrary, such as a music library stored on a user's laptop computer,desktop computer, smartphone, tablet, home server, or other computingdevice now known or later developed; (iii) audio content associated withvideo content, such as audio associated with a television program ormovie received from any of a television, set-top box, Digital VideoRecorder, Digital Video Disc player, streaming video service, or anyother source of audio-visual media content now known or later developed;(iv) text-to-speech or other audible content from a voice assistantservice (VAS), such as Amazon Alexa or other VAS services now known orlater developed; (v) audio content from a doorbell or intercom systemsuch as Nest, Ring, or other doorbells or intercom systems now known orlater developed; and/or (vi) audio content from a telephone, videophone, video/teleconferencing system or other application configured toallow users to communicate with each other via audio and/or video.

In operation, a “sourcing” playback device obtains any of theaforementioned types of audio content from an audio source via aninterface on the playback device, e.g., one of the sourcing playbackdevice's network interfaces, a “line-in” analog interface, a digitalaudio interface, or any other interface suitable for receiving audiocontent in digital or analog format now known or later developed.

An audio source is any system, device, or application that generates,provides, or otherwise makes available any of the aforementioned audiocontent to a playback device. For example, in some embodiments, an audiosource includes any one or more of a streaming media (audio, video)service, digital media server or other computing system, VAS service,television, cable set-top-box, streaming media player (e.g., AppleTV,Roku, gaming console), CD/DVD player, doorbell, intercom, telephone,tablet, or any other source of digital audio content.

A playback device that receives or otherwise obtains audio content froman audio source for playback and/or distribution to other playbackdevices may be referred to herein as the “sourcing” playback device,“master” playback device, or “group coordinator.” One function of the“sourcing” playback device is to process received audio content forplayback and/or distribution to other playback devices. In someembodiments, the sourcing playback device transmits the processed audiocontent to all the playback devices that are configured to play theaudio content. In some embodiments, the sourcing playback devicetransmits the processed audio content to a multicast network address,and all the other playback devices configured to play the audio contentreceive the audio content via that multicast address. In someembodiments, the sourcing playback device alternatively transmits theprocessed audio content to each unicast network address of each otherplayback device configured to play the audio content, and each of theother playback devices configured to play the audio content receive theaudio content via its unicast address.

III. Example Techniques for Creating Sound and Light Experiences

As mentioned above, sound can create and/or support different listeningexperiences and foster a more personal, meaningful, and targetedinteraction with one's environment. Listening experiences can be furtherenhanced by corresponding lighting experiences to create more immersiveaudiovisual experiences. Accordingly, disclosed herein are various modesof operation, techniques, and embodiments for producing lightexperiences based on sound.

a. Light Source

In general, a “light source” as used herein may refer to any artificiallighting element that is capable of providing light. Nonlimitingexamples of a lighting element may include a light bulb, a lightemitting diode (“LED”), an LED panel, matrix, array, or some othergrouping of LEDs, a lamp, a projector, and a television. A light sourcemay also be, for example, a set of one or more smart light devices or asmart light system (e.g., PHILIPS HUE® smart light system) that cancommunicate with the at least one playback device of a media playbacksystem to produce a visual output. A light source may include otherexamples as well. A light source may also be referred to herein as alighting device or a lighting element.

Light sources may produce various types of lighting experiences. As oneexample, the term “lighting effect” or “light effect” as used herein mayrefer to a lighting experience that creates a particular ambience bycausing one or more light sources to produce a given color and/orbrightness level. As another example, the term “lighting scene” or“light scene” as used herein may refer to a lighting experience thatcreates a visual scene by causing one or more light sources to producelight that mimics a particular scene, such as ocean waves, sunrise orsunset, the northern lights, underwater, among other possibilities. Asyet another example, the term “animation” as used herein may refer to alighting experience that creates high fidelity graphics by causing oneor more light sources to produce light that collectively forms specificshapes, images, and/or patterns. As will be explained in more detailfurther below, animations may be created dynamically (e.g., smartanimations) or based on a predefined set of selectable animation optionsincluding colors, shapes, images, and/or patterns. The predefined set ofanimation options may be available to a user in the form of a softwaretool for designing a predetermined audiovisual experience that isdisplayed via a graphical user interface (“GUI”) on a controller devicethat is communicatively coupled to a playback device that is configuredto communicate with one or more light source to create a lightingexperience. Using the GUI, the user may select, for given audio content,corresponding animation options and indicate when each animation optionshould occur with respect to the given audio content. For example, theuser may drag animation options from an option panel and drop theanimation options at desired times within a graphical display of thegiven audio content. The user may additionally preview the audiovisualexperience via the GUI and make additional modifications as desired. Inthis way, a lighting experience can be designed and customized withrespect to given audio content, for both personal and public use (e.g.,a concert or other performance event). Further, the user may interactwith the GUI generally to adjust one or more aspects of lightingexperiences as described herein, such as to modify the intensity and/orthe sensitivity of a lighting effect, scene, and/or animation.

In general, producing light to create a given lighting experience may bereferred to herein as “lighting behavior” or “light behavior.”

The type of light source(s) may dictate the type of lighting experiencethat may be produced. For instance, some light sources—such as lightbulbs, lamps, or light strips, etc.—may not have the ability to producehigh fidelity lighting output such as specific shapes or images and maythus be used to create a lighting effect and/or a lighting scene,whereas some light sources—such as an LED assembly—may have the abilityto produce high fidelity lighting output and may thus be used to createany type of lighting experience, including a lighting effect, a lightingscene, and an animation. Further, each type of lighting experience mayadditionally incorporate lighting transitions such that the one or morelight sources may begin and/or cease producing light at a given time inorder to create the desired lighting experience.

b. Example System Configuration

A media playback system that may implement the modes, operations, andtechniques to create sound and lighting experiences as disclosed hereinmay take various forms. As one example, the media playback system maytake the form of MPS 100 described above that is configured tocommunicate with and/or is integrated with a lighting system thatcomprises one or more lighting devices (e.g., a third-party lightingsystem such as the PHILIPS HUE® smart light system). As anotherpossibility, the media playback system may comprise at least oneplayback device that is configured to communicate with at least onelight source over at least one data network. Further, the at least oneplayback device and at least one light source may be bonded so as toproduce audio and lighting in coordination with each other. In thisregard, the playback device and the light source may be configured tocommunicate via a local area network (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) orvia a wide area network (e.g., a cloud network). In someimplementations, each of the at least one playback device and the atleast one light source may be configured to communicate via theirrespective cloud networks. For example, the at least one playback devicemay be configured to send a command comprising a lighting instruction toa first remote computing device, which may then transmit the command toa second remote computing device that is configured to communicate withthe at least one light source. As another possibility, the mediaplayback system may comprise at least one playback device that bodilyincorporates a light source. Such a playback device may take the form ofa table lamp speaker or a lightbulb speaker, among other possibilities.As yet another possibility, the media playback system may comprise acombination of playback devices without incorporated light sources andplayback devices with incorporated light sources. Other systemconfigurations are also possible.

Disclosed herein are various embodiments and techniques for providinglight experiences based on sound. In this regard, the sound may be soundthat is detected or sound that is outputted by a playback device of amedia playback system, such as the MPS 100 discussed above with respectto FIG. 1A, that is configured to communicate with one or more lightingdevices. Sound that is detected may comprise a voice input (e.g., avoice input comprising a command to play audio content) and/or ambientsound (e.g., people talking, running water, etc.) that is detected via amicrophone of the playback device, and sound that is outputted maycomprise audio content that is played back by the playback device (e.g.,music, podcast, movie soundtrack, etc.).

c. Lighting Behavior Based on Audio Frequencies

In one aspect, lighting behavior may be based on different frequenciesof the audio spectrum, which is referred to herein as the range offrequencies audible to humans. A playback device that is configured tocommunicate with at least one lighting device may analyze given audiocontent to identify frequency ranges present in the given audio contentand monitor audio activity in the given audio content. Then, based onthe identified frequency ranges and/or the monitored audio activity, theplayback device may determine lighting behavior that is to beimplemented by the lighting device(s) and then cause the lightingdevice(s) to implement the determined lighting behavior.

The playback device may analyze the given audio content based ondetecting the audio content via a microphone of the playback device(e.g., while playing back the given audio content), based on informationabout the given audio content that is received over a data network(e.g., received over a WAN from a remote computing device or over awireless LAN from another device of the media playback system), or acombination of the two. Further, the frequency ranges that are presentin the audio content may be identified using an algorithm, such as aFast Fourier transform to convert the audio content from the time domainto the frequency domain to identify frequencies present in the audiocontent. For instance, the audio spectrum, which spans 20 Hz to 20 kHz,is broken down generally into low frequencies (approximately 20-300 Hz),medium frequencies (approximately 300 Hz to 5 kHz), and high frequencies(approximately 5-20 kHz) and more specifically into seven primaryfrequency bands: (i) sub-bass (˜20-60 Hz), (ii) bass (˜60-250 Hz), (iii)low midrange (˜250-500 Hz), (iv) midrange (˜500 Hz-2 kHz), (v) uppermidrange (˜2-4 kHz), (vi) presence (˜4-6 kHz), and (vii) brilliance(˜6-20 kHz). Based on analyzing the given audio content (e.g., FastFourier analysis), the playback device may identify one or morefrequency ranges present in the given audio content, including thefundamental frequency of the given audio content.

The playback device may then associate each identified frequency rangewith a given lighting experience (e.g., a given lighting effect, scene,and/or animation) that is to be produced by the at least one lightingdevice. In this regard, the playback device may use a lighting algorithmto facilitate association of a given frequency range with given lightingbehavior. As one possibility, the lighting algorithm may dynamicallyassociate each identified frequency range with a given lighting behavioras the frequency range is identified. The given lighting behavior may beselected from a set of one or more lighting behaviors that may be basedon the capability of the lighting device(s) with which the playbackdevice is configured to communicate. The given lighting behavior may beselected randomly or based on a given order, such as sequentially oralphabetically. For instance, information about the lighting device(s)(which may be received by the playback device from the lightingdevice(s), from a remote computing device associated with the lightingdevice(s), or based on user input provided via a controller devicecommunicatively coupled to the playback device), may indicate a set ofone or more available lighting behaviors based on the capabilities ofthe lighting device(s). For example, if the lighting device(s) comprisesa smart light bulb, the set of one or more available lighting behaviorsmay comprise lighting effects that the smart light bulb is capable ofproducing, which may include a given set of colors and brightnesslevels. As another example, if the lighting device(s) comprises an LEDpanel, the set of one or more available lighting behaviors may compriselighting animations that the LED panel is capable of producing, whichmay include a given set of shapes, images, and/or patterns. As theplayback device identifies frequency ranges in the given audio content,the playback device may associate each frequency range with a givenlighting behavior. Further, the playback device may transmit a messageto the lighting device(s) that includes (i) an instruction to implementthe given lighting behavior and (ii) timing information regarding whento implement the given lighting behavior.

As another possibility, the lighting algorithm may associate eachidentified frequency range with given lighting behavior based on apredetermined selection of corresponding sets of frequency range andlighting behavior. For instance, via a controller device that iscommunicatively coupled to the playback device, a user may have definedgiven lighting behavior for each possible frequency range, such as afirst lighting effect for a first frequency range, a second lightingeffect for a second frequency range, a given animation for a thirdfrequency range, and a given scene for a fourth frequency range. Whenthe playback device identifies a given frequency range, it may associatethe given frequency range with its corresponding given lighting behavioras indicated by the predetermined selection. In some instances where thegiven audio content is to be played back in a loop, given lightingbehavior may specified such that the lighting behavior is also producedin a loop corresponding with the looped audio content. Other examplesare also possible.

Furthermore, the playback device may monitor audio activity within eachidentified frequency range and then associate given audio activity witha given lighting behavior. For instance, a given frequency range mayinclude one or more lines (i.e., a melodic statement), that may be humanvocals and/or instrumental. Each line may be associated with a givenlighting behavior. In some instances, a given line may comprise morethan one vocals or instruments. In such instances, the given lightingbehavior may reflect the vocals or instruments visually by associatingdifferent lighting characteristics for each distinct vocal orinstrument. For example, the lighting behavior may include an animationof a single shape in different colors that represent each distinct vocalor instrument, or a single shape with multiple points that representeach distinct vocal or instrument, or distinct patterns that representeach distinct vocal or instrument. Other examples are also possible.

In some implementations, the playback device may associate eachfrequency of visible light with a given ambient sound that has beendetected by the playback device, and upon detecting the given ambientsound, cause the light source to produce a lighting effect thatcorresponds with the associated frequency. For example, the playbackdevice may associate the color yellow with the sound of birds chirpingand the color green with the sound of a lawnmower. Thereafter, wheneverthe playback device detects the sound of birds chirping or the sound ofthe lawnmower, the playback device may cause the light source to producea lighting effect that displays the color yellow and the color green,respectively. Other examples are also possible.

Still, in some implementations, the playback device may cause the lightsource to perform given lighting behavior based on data-over-soundtransmissions comprising one or more commands. For instance, theplayback device may receive from a computing device (e.g., a smartphone,a tablet, a laptop, another playback device, or any other device thatincludes a speaker, etc.) an ultrasonic or near-ultrasonic sound signal(e.g., 19-20 kHz or higher) that comprises data indicating a command forgiven lighting behavior. The playback device, upon receiving the soundsignal, may decode the data indicating the command and then cause thelight source to perform lighting behavior based on the command. In thisway, the playback device may cause the light source to engage inlighting behavior independent of or in addition to frequencyband-associated lighting behavior as described above and/or sound thatis audible to users in proximity of the playback device and/or the lightsource. Additional information about transmitting data using sound canbe found in U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0237091 titled “A Method and System forAcoustic Communication of Data” and U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0253154 titled“Method and System for Acoustic Communication of Data,” each of which isexpressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Otherexamples are also possible.

d. Lighting Behavior Based on Types of Audio & Context

In another aspect, lighting behavior may be based on one or more of (i)foreground audio, (ii) background audio, or (iii) contextualinformation. Foreground audio as referred to herein may be audio contentthat is played back by a playback device. Such audio may include, assome non-limiting examples, music (e.g., an audio track, a playlist,etc.), a podcast, an audio soundtrack accompanying video content, amongother possibilities. Background audio as referred to herein may beambient noise that is detected by the playback device. Such backgroundaudio may include, as some non-limiting examples, people talking, waterrunning, dishes clanking, among other possibilities. Contextualinformation as referred to herein may be general information that isavailable to the playback device. Such information may include, as somenon-limiting examples, a time of day, weather information (e.g., theweather forecast in a geographical location, such as the geographicallocation of the playback device), calendar information (e.g., meetings,appointments, and/or other calendar events available from a calendarservice that is integrated with or otherwise accessible to the playbackdevice), ambient lighting information (e.g., information about lightsource(s) in proximity of the playback device and/or light source(s)about which the playback device has information or is otherwise able tocommunicate with), task lists (e.g., to-do lists, grocery lists, etc.),among other possibilities. In some instances, contextual information mayinclude background audio, such as ambient noise (e.g., presence ofpeople based on detecting the sound of people talking, presence ofanimals based on detecting animal sounds, etc.) ambient audio (e.g.,detecting music or television input in the background, etc.). Further,contextual information may be received and/or transmitted in variousways, including via a wired connection, over a local area network, overa wide area network, over a Bluetooth connection, via cloud-basedintegration, or via ultrasonic transmission, among other possibilities.Based on detecting the (i) foreground audio, (ii) background audio,and/or (iii) contextual information, the playback device may determinegiven lighting behavior that is to be implemented by one or morelighting device(s) and then cause the lighting device(s) to implementthe determined lighting behavior.

Lighting behavior based on foreground audio may take various forms. Asone possibility, lighting behavior may be based on the type of audiocontent that is being played back. For example, audio content that isidentified as music (e.g., a playlist, an audio track) may be associatedwith a given animation, whereas audio content that is identified as apodcast may be associated with a given lighting effect or scene thatcreates a particular mood based on the genre of the podcast. As anotherpossibility, lighting behavior may be based on the audio characteristicsof the audio content. For example, different colors, graphic patterns,and/or rhythmic patterns may be produced based on the tempo or beats perminute of the audio content. Further, the speed of transitions betweenlighting behaviors (e.g., transitioning from one brightness level toanother brightness level, transitioning from one color to another color,transitioning from one type of animation to another type of animation,etc.) may also match or otherwise correspond to the audiocharacteristics of the audio content.

In this regard, different transition modes may dictate different levelsor degrees at which lighting behavior transitions are synced with,delayed by, or responsive to audio characteristics. As one example,lighting behavior transitions may be synced with audio characteristics,such as the beats per minute or tempo of the audio content. As anotherexample, lighting behavior transitions may be based on a range ofresponsiveness to audio characteristics. The range of responsiveness maybe predetermined based on default settings or may be selected based onuser input received via a controller device. As one possibility,transitions may be set to a first mode, such as a “vibrant” mode, wherethe lighting behavior is lively and highly responsive to the audiocharacteristics. For instance, the lighting behavior may match therhythm of the audio content. Lighting behavior in this mode may producevibrant colors, high levels of brightness, and/or quick transitions. Asanother possibility, transitions may be set to a second mode, such as a“relaxed” mode, where the lighting behavior is tranquil and lessresponsive to the audio characteristics. For instance, the lightingbehavior may respond at a reduced rhythm level (e.g., if the audiocontent has a rhythm of 90 beats per minute, the lighting behavior mayrespond as if the audio content had a rhythm of 45 beats per minute).Lighting behavior in this mode may produce softer, muter colors, lowerlevels of brightness, and/or slower transitions (e.g., cross-fade).

In some implementations, each mode of responsiveness may be associatedwith a playlist of lighting behaviors that dictates the level of sync,delay, and/or responsiveness to audio characteristics. In someimplementations, the range of responsiveness may be adjusted using aspectrum or sliding scale (e.g., adjusted based on user input providedvia a controller device). Lighting behavior based on foreground audiomay take other forms as well.

Lighting behavior based on background audio may take various forms. Asone possibility, the vibrancy of the lighting behavior may be based onthe activity level of the background audio. For example, if thebackground audio is loud and indicates high activity, the lightingbehavior may be lively and energetic, producing vibrant colors, higherbrightness levels, and/or fast animations and transitions, whereas ifthe background audio is soft and indicates low activity, the lightingbehavior may be tranquil, producing muted colors, lower brightnesslevels, and/or slower animations and transitions. Furthermore, thepresence of background audio may be reflected by specific lightingbehavior. For instance, when background audio is detected (e.g.,detected by a microphone of the playback device), the lighting behaviormay include a given effect or animation that specifically indicatesbackground audio, such as a given shape, color, and/or animation thatmay respond to changes in the background audio. For example, suchlighting behavior may take the form of a blue circle animation thatspeeds up or slows down in response to a detected increase or decreasein the background audio. Lighting behavior based on background audio maytake other forms as well.

Lighting behavior based on contextual information may take variousforms. As one possibility, lighting behavior may be based on timinginformation. For instance, lighting behavior may be directly correlatedto the time of day. For example, based on detecting timing indicatingsunrise, corresponding lighting behavior may take the form of displayingbright (or increasingly brightening) lighting effects, scenes, and/oranimations. As another example, based on detecting nighttime, lightingbehavior may take the form of displaying soft lighting effects, scenes,and/or animations. Conversely, lighting behavior may be indirectlycorrelated to the time of day. For example, based on detecting sunrise,lighting behavior may take the form of decreasing any ongoing lightingeffects, scenes, and/or animations, and based on detecting sundown,lighting behavior may take the form of displaying bright lightingeffects, scenes, and/or animations. Timing information may be furtherinformed via a sensor component of the playback device, such as adaylight sensor that correlates to a generative music engine. Additionalinformation about generative music engines may be found in U.S.Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 17/140,361, filed Jan. 4, 2021, andtitled “Generative Music Based on User Location,” and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 63/198,866, filed Nov. 18, 2020, and titled“Algorithmically Generated Media Content Playback via one or moreDevices,” each of which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

As another possibility, lighting behavior may be based on a currentoperation mode or audio scene of the playback device. For example, ifthe playback device is set to a “sleep” mode or is implementing asleep-related audio scene, lighting behavior may comprise softer colors,tranquil scenes, and/or slow animations. Additional informationregarding scene systems and operation modes may be found in U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/114,931 entitled, “Playback Roles forLayering of Audio,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/190,638entitled, “Dedicated Controls for Targeted Audio Experience,” each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In suchinstances, lighting behavior may further be adjusted based on userinput. For example, using a controller device, user input may beprovided to restrict lighting behavior to a given color pallet, givenscene options, and/or given animation speeds when reacting to a givenoperation mode or audio scene. Additional information regarding scenesystems may be found in U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/114,931entitled, “Playback Roles for Layering of Audio,” and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 63/190,638 entitled, “Dedicated Controls for TargetedAudio Experience,” each of which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

As yet another possibility, lighting behavior may be based oninformation about a light source. For example, the type of light source,the light source's respective color temperature, and/or the lightsource's respective location may indicate a given use/purpose, andlighting behavior may be based on such an indicated use/purpose (e.g., amulti-bulb floor lamp in the living room may indicate the need forbright light, whereas a single-bulb reading lamp in the bedroom mayindicate a need for ambient, localized light).

Still, as another possibility, lighting behavior may be based on acombination of audio and contextual information. As one example, basedon detecting audio content playback and/or background audio such asrunning water in the sink and cooking sounds at a playback devicelocated in the kitchen, the playback device may infer that a user iscooking in the kitchen. Accordingly, the playback device may, inaddition to playing back audio content, cause one or more light sourceslocated in the kitchen to turn on and/or engage in other lightingbehavior to facilitate visibility in the kitchen. Additional informationabout inferring activity based on noise detection can be found in U.S.Pat. No. 10,871,943 titled “Noise Classification for Event Detection,”which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As anotherexample, based on detecting playback of an alarm, lighting behavior maytake the form of displaying bright (or increasingly brightening)lighting effects, scenes, and/or animations or displaying certainlighting effects, scenes, and/or animations that correspond to thealarm. As yet another example, lighting behavior may be based on userlocation and intensity of sound (e.g., audio playback and/or ambientaudio) that is detected in the user's proximity. For example, if aplayback device is playing back audio and determines that a user is notwithin close proximity, the playback device may infer that the user isnot within the location of the playback device and/or the light sourceand may thus cause lighting behavior to take the form of softer light,whereas if the playback device determines that the user is within closeproximity, the playback device may infer that the user is within thelocation of the playback device and/or the light source and may thuscause lighting behavior to take the form of brighter light. Otherexamples are also possible.

e. Activity-Focused Lighting Behavior

In some implementations, certain aspects of lighting behavior may eachbe based on different types of audio and/or contextual information. Asone possibility, certain aspects of lighting behavior may be adjustedbased on a user command. For example, while a light source (e.g., an LEDgrid, a set of multiple lights distributed throughout a room) is engagedin given lighting behavior (e.g., displaying a given brightness level,color, and animation) based on audio playback, a user may issue acommand (e.g., a voice input command or a command input via a controllerdevice) to focus lights on the user. The command may be detected by aplayback device that is configured to communicate with the light source.Based on detecting the command to focus lights on the user and thelocation of the user relative to the playback device, the playbackdevice may cause the light source to adjust its light coverage to focusin on the user, such as by brightening those lights closer to the userand dimming those lights further away from the user and/or by orientingthe lights toward the user's direction. Notably, other lightingbehavior, such as animations, that was previously being displayed maycontinue uninterrupted.

As another possibility, certain aspects of lighting behavior may beadjusted in response to contextual information. For instance, while alight source (e.g., an LED grid, a set of multiple lights distributedthroughout a room) is performing given lighting behavior (e.g.,displaying a given brightness level, color, and animation) based onaudio playback, a playback device may detect contextual information andadjust certain lighting behavior accordingly. For example, a user may beengaged in a virtual performance (e.g., live streaming a concert)whereby audio content is playing and corresponding lighting behavior isbeing displayed in the user's background (e.g., a playback deviceassociated with the user is playing audio content and causing a lightsource to display given lighting behavior based on the audio playback).The playback device may detect incoming chats on the livestream platformvia a communicatively coupled controller device. Based on detectingkeywords, reactions, and/or metadata in the incoming chats, the playbackdevice may cause the light source to adjust certain aspects of itslighting behavior in response to the detected keywords, reactions,and/or metadata while continuing to display the other aspects of itslighting behavior uninterrupted.

As yet another possibility, while operating in a first mode (e.g., adefault playback mode), the playback device may monitor for voice inputand/or background audio in order to take action to adjust lightingbehavior in accordance with the detected voice input and/or backgroundaudio. For example, while playing back audio content, a playback devicein the kitchen may detect sounds corresponding to a fridge door openingand closing and dinnerware being taken out of a cabinet. The playbackdevice may thus infer that a user plans to eat and may thus cause one ormore kitchen lights to turn on. As another example, a playback device ina hallway leading to a bedroom may detect a voice command to turn on thehallway light. Thus, the playback device may cause the hallway light toturn on and may further cause additional lights, such as the bedroomlights, to turn on as well in anticipation of the user walking throughthe hallway and into the bedroom.

f. Lighting Behavior Based on Connected Devices

In some implementations, lighting behavior may be based on settings of acomputing device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) that iscommunicatively coupled to a playback device that is configured tocommunicate with a light source. As one possibility, lighting behaviormay be based on one or more settings of the computing device. Forexample, the playback device may determine that a blue light filtersetting of the computing device is turned on and may thus cause thelight source to display a blue-hued lighting effect.

In some implementations, lighting behavior may be based on media contentthat is being played back on a computing device (e.g., smartphone,tablet, laptop, etc.) that is communicatively coupled to a playbackdevice that is configured to communicate with a light source. As onepossibility, lighting behavior may be based on media content that isbeing played back on the computing device. For example, the playbackdevice may detect that a user is streaming media content (e.g., watchinga movie or listening to a song) on the computing device and maydetermine one or more colors associated with the media content (e.g.,colors based on art associated with the movie or album art associatedwith the song) based on, for example, available metadata associated withthe media content, among other possibilities. In turn, the playbackdevice may cause the light source to display a lighting effect and/oranimation based on the determined colors associated with the mediacontent.

As another possibility, lighting behavior may be based on differentaudio channels of audio content that is being played back on thecomputing device. For instance, a user may be watching an instructionalvideo on the computing device, such as a yoga video. The playback devicemay monitor the audio stream associated with the video to detect certainkeywords and/or determine certain audio channels of the audio stream.Additionally, or alternatively, the playback device may obtaininformation about the video and associated audio stream via availablemetadata, separate protocol, and/or a sub-band including informationregarding control signals that the playback device may use to implementlighting behavior. Based on the detected keywords and/or determinedaudio channels, the playback device may cause the light source toimplement given lighting behavior. For example, the playback device maydetect that the audio stream directs the user to “look to your left” andmay thus cause the light source to direct light toward the user's leftside, such as by brightening lights on the user's left side and dimmingall other lights. As another example, the playback device may detectkeywords that depict certain scenes and cause the light source toimplement given lighting behavior to mimic the scene. For instance, theplayback device may detect the word “sunshine” in the audio stream andthus cause the light source to produce a lighting effect reflectingcolors associated with sunshine and/or morning, and may additionallyplay back morning sounds, such as birds chirping. As yet anotherexample, the playback device may detect action trigger words—such as“inhale” and “exhale”—and cause the light source to implement lightingbehavior that mimics or guides the action. For example, based on the“inhale” action trigger word, the playback device may cause the lightsource to display a brightening lighting effect and/or a “rising”animation, and based on the “exhale” action trigger word, the playbackdevice may cause the light source to display a dimming lighting effectand/or a “lowering” animation. In this way, the playback device maycontrol, customize, and/or adapt lighting experiences within a user'shome either in real-time or based on pre-determined information. Otherexamples are also possible.

As yet another possibility, lighting and/or listening experiences may beshared across different households, either live or asynchronously. Thismay be done using a streaming service that enables sharing of not onlyaudiovisual content (e.g., music, exercise classes, concerts, groupedvideo watching, etc.), but also lighting experience. For example, astreaming service (e.g., Sonos HD Radio) that can communicate with aremote computing device associated with the playback device may be ableto access information about lighting behavior of one or more lightsources with which the playback device is configured to communicate. Auser of the playback device may then be able to broadcast, via a GUIdisplayed on a controller device associated with the playback device, agiven listening and lighting experience with other users of thestreaming service in different households such that users in differenthomes can participate in a same audiovisual experience. Additionalinformation about mirrored experiences across different households maybe found in U.S. Pat. No. 10,587,693 titled “Mirrored Queues.” Otherexamples are also possible.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 include one or more operations, functions, or actionsas illustrated by operational blocks 502-508, 602-606, and 702-710, forexample processes of determining lighting behavior according totechniques and embodiments disclosed herein. Although the blocks502-508, 602-606, and 702-710 are illustrated in a given order, some ofthe blocks may also be performed in parallel, and/or in a differentorder than those described herein. Also, the various blocks may becombined into fewer blocks, divided into additional blocks, and/orremoved based upon the desired implementation.

In addition, for the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5-7 and other processesand methods disclosed herein, each flowchart shows functionality andoperation of one possible implementation of embodiments disclosedherein. In this regard, each block may represent a module, a segment, ora portion of program code, which includes one or more instructionsexecutable by one or more processors for implementing logical functionsor blocks in the process. The program code may be stored on any type ofcomputer readable medium, for example, such as a storage deviceincluding a disk or hard drive. The computer readable medium may includenon-transitory computer readable medium, for example, such ascomputer-readable media that stores data for short periods of time likeregister memory, processor cache and Random Access Memory (RAM). Thecomputer readable medium may also include non-transitory media, such assecondary or persistent long-term storage, like read only memory (ROM),optical or magnetic disks, compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), forexample. The computer readable media may also be any other volatile ornon-volatile storage systems. The computer readable medium may beconsidered a computer readable storage medium, for example, or atangible storage device. In addition, for the processes and methodsdisclosed herein, each block in FIGS. 5-7 may represent circuitry and/ormachinery that is wired or arranged to perform the specific functions inthe process.

With reference first to FIG. 5 , the example process 500 that may becarried out by a playback device for determining lighting behavior basedon audio frequencies of audio content. The example process 500 may beginat block 502, where the playback device, while playing back audiocontent, may detect one or more frequency ranges of the audio content.The playback device may detect the one or more frequency ranges usingany of the various techniques disclosed herein. At block 504, theplayback device may monitor audio activity within the one or moredetected frequency ranges. At block 506, based on (i) the one or moredetected frequency ranges and (ii) the monitored audio activity, theplayback device may determine lighting behavior for a lighting devicethat is communicatively coupled to the playback device. In line with thediscussion above, the lighting behavior may be based on one or morecapabilities of the lighting device. At block 508, the playback devicemay cause the lighting device to implement the lighting behavior. Inline with the discussion above, this may involve transmitting a messageto the lighting device(s) that includes (i) an instruction to implementthe lighting behavior and (ii) timing information regarding when toimplement the lighting behavior.

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of an example process 600 that may be carriedout by a playback device for determining lighting behavior based on oneor more of different types of audio or context information. The exampleprocess 600 may begin at block 602, where the playback device may detectone or more of (i) foreground audio, (ii) background audio, or (iii)contextual information. At block 604, based on detecting one or more ofthe (i) foreground audio, (ii) background audio, or (iii) contextualinformation, the playback device may determine lighting behavior for alighting device that is communicatively coupled to the playback device.In line with the discussion above, the lighting behavior may be based onone or more capabilities of the lighting device. At block 606, theplayback device may cause the lighting device to implement thedetermined lighting behavior. In line with the discussion above, thismay involve transmitting a message to the lighting device(s) thatincludes (i) an instruction to implement the lighting behavior and (ii)timing information regarding when to implement the lighting behavior.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart of an example process 700 that may be carriedout by a playback device for determining lighting behavior based onaudio frequencies of audio content. The example process 700 may begin atblock 702, where the playback device may determine given audio contentthat is to be played back by the playback device. At block 704, theplayback device may identify at least one frequency range in the givenaudio content. At block 706, for each identified frequency range in thegiven audio content, the playback device may determine a respectivelighting behavior that is to be produced, by a lighting device that iscommunicatively coupled with the playback device, during playback of theidentified frequency range in the given audio content. At block 708, theplay back device may play back the given audio content comprising the atleast one identified frequency range. At block 710, the playback devicemay cause the lighting device to produce the determined lightingbehavior in synchrony with playback of the identified frequency in thegiven audio content. In line with the discussion above, this may involvetransmitting one or more messages to the lighting device comprising (i)one or more instructions to produce respective lighting behavior duringplayback of each identified frequency in the given audio content and(ii) timing information regarding when to produce each respectivelighting behavior.

V. Conclusion

The above discussions relating to playback devices, controller devices,playback zone configurations, and media content sources provide onlysome examples of operating environments within which functions andmethods described below may be implemented. Other operating environmentsand configurations of media playback systems, playback devices, andnetwork devices not explicitly described herein may also be applicableand suitable for implementation of the functions and methods.

The description above discloses, among other things, various examplesystems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture including,among other components, firmware and/or software executed on hardware.It is understood that such examples are merely illustrative and shouldnot be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that anyor all of the firmware, hardware, and/or software aspects or componentscan be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software,exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software,and/or firmware. Accordingly, the examples provided are not the onlyways to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles ofmanufacture.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of aninvention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of otherembodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly andimplicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined withother embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrativeenvironments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, andother symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble theoperations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These processdescriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it isunderstood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than theforegoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at leastone example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible,non-transitory medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on,storing the software and/or firmware.

1. A playback device comprising: at least one process; non-transitorycomputer-readable medium; and program instructions stored on thenon-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by at leastone processor such that the playback device is configured to: determinegiven audio content that is to be played back by the playback device;identify at least one frequency range in the given audio content; foreach identified frequency range in the given audio content, determine arespective lighting behavior that is to be produced, by a lightingdevice that is communicatively coupled with the playback device, duringplayback of the identified frequency range in the given audio content;play back the given audio content comprising the at least one identifiedfrequency range; and cause the lighting device to produce the determinedlighting behavior in synchrony with playback of the identified frequencyin the given audio content.
 2. The playback device of claim 1, whereineach respective lighting behavior comprises one of (i) a given lightingeffect, (ii) a given lighting scene, or (iii) a given lightinganimation.
 3. The playback device of claim 1, further comprising programinstructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium thatare executable by the at least one processor such that the playbackdevice is configured to: determine a time-domain representation of thegiven audio content; and wherein the program instructions that areexecutable by the at least one processor such that the playback deviceis configured to identify the at least one frequency range in the givenaudio content comprise program instructions that are executable by theat least one processor such that the playback device is configured to:convert the time-domain representation to a frequency-domainrepresentation.
 4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the programinstructions that are executable by the at least one processor such thatthe playback device is configured to determine the respective lightingbehavior comprise program instructions that are executable by the atleast one processor such that the playback device is configured to:dynamically associate each frequency range with a respective lightingbehavior, wherein the respective lighting behavior is selected from aset of one or more available lighting behaviors.
 5. The playback deviceof claim 4, wherein the set of one or more available lighting behaviorsis based on one or more lighting capabilities of the lighting device. 6.The playback device of claim 1, wherein the program instructions thatare executable by the at least one processor such that the playbackdevice is configured to determine the respective lighting behaviorcomprise program instructions that are executable by the at least oneprocessor such that the playback device is configured to: associate eachrespective frequency range with a given lighting behavior based on apredetermined selection of corresponding sets of frequency range andlighting behavior.
 7. The playback device of claim 1, further comprisingprogram instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readablemedium that are executable by the at least one processor such that theplayback device is configured to: monitor audio activity within eachidentified frequency range.
 8. The playback device of claim 7, whereinthe program instructions that are executable by the at least oneprocessor such that the playback device is configured to determine therespective lighting behavior comprise program instructions that areexecutable by the at least one processor such that the playback deviceis configured to: determine the respective lighting behavior based onthe monitored audio activity within the identified frequency range. 9.The playback device of claim 1, wherein the program instructions thatare executable by the at least one processor such that the playbackdevice is configured to cause the lighting device to produce thedetermined lighting behavior in synchrony with the playback of theidentified frequency in the given audio content comprise programinstructions that are executable by the at least one processor such thatthe playback device is configured to: instruct the lighting device toproduce the respective lighting behavior for each identified frequencyrange in the given audio content; and provide, to the lighting device,timing information indicating when to produce each respective lightingbehavior.
 10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein thenon-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with programinstructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause aplayback device to: determine given audio content that is to be playedback by the playback device; identify at least one frequency range inthe given audio content; for each identified frequency range in thegiven audio content, determine a respective lighting behavior that is tobe produced, by a lighting device that is communicatively coupled withthe playback device, during playback of the identified frequency rangein the given audio content; play back the given audio content comprisingthe at least one identified frequency range; and cause the lightingdevice to produce the determined lighting behavior in synchrony withplayback of the identified frequency in the given audio content.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein eachrespective lighting behavior comprises one of (i) a given lightingeffect, (ii) a given lighting scene, or (iii) a given lightinganimation.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisionedwith program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor,cause the playback device to: determine a time-domain representation ofthe given audio content; and wherein the program instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor, cause the playback device toidentify the at least one frequency range in the given audio contentcomprise program instructions that, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause the playback device to: convert the time-domainrepresentation to a frequency-domain representation.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the programinstructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause theplayback device to determine the respective lighting behavior compriseprogram instructions that, when executed by at least one processor,cause the playback device to: dynamically associate each frequency rangewith a respective lighting behavior, wherein the respective lightingbehavior is selected from a set of one or more available lightingbehaviors.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause the playback device to determine the respectivelighting behavior comprise program instructions that, when executed byat least one processor, cause the playback device to: associate eachrespective frequency range with a given lighting behavior based on apredetermined selection of corresponding sets of frequency range andlighting behavior.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 10, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is alsoprovisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at leastone processor, cause the playback device to: monitor audio activitywithin each identified frequency range.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program instructionsthat, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback deviceto determine the respective lighting behavior comprise programinstructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause theplayback device to: determine the respective lighting behavior based onthe monitored audio activity within the identified frequency range. 17.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein theprogram instructions that, when executed by at least one processor,cause the playback device to cause the lighting device to produce thedetermined lighting behavior in synchrony with the playback of theidentified frequency in the given audio content comprise programinstructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause theplayback device to: instruct the lighting device to produce therespective lighting behavior for each identified frequency range in thegiven audio content; and provide, to the lighting device, timinginformation indicating when to produce each respective lightingbehavior.
 18. A method carried out by a playback device, the methodcomprising: determining given audio content that is to be played back bythe playback device; identifying at least one frequency range in thegiven audio content; for each identified frequency range in the givenaudio content, determining a respective lighting behavior that is to beproduced, by a lighting device that is communicatively coupled with theplayback device, during playback of the identified frequency range inthe given audio content; playing back the given audio content comprisingthe at least one identified frequency range; and causing the lightingdevice to produce the determined lighting behavior in synchrony withplayback of the identified frequency in the given audio content.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, wherein each respective lighting behavior comprisesone of (i) a given lighting effect, (ii) a given lighting scene, or(iii) a given lighting animation.
 20. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising: instructing the lighting device to produce the respectivelighting behavior for each identified frequency range in the given audiocontent; and providing, to the lighting device, timing informationindicating when to produce each respective lighting behavior.